🥃 Benromach
Distillery and single malt whisky brand in Forres (Speyside), built in 1898; bought in 1993 by the family firm Gordon & MacPhail and reopened in 1998.
Benromach is a distillery and single malt Scotch whisky brand in Forres, Moray. According to the producer, the distillery was built in 1898. In 1993 it was acquired by Gordon & MacPhail, a family-owned spirits company based in Elgin, which still owns it. It was reopened in 1998 by Prince Charles.
How it is made. According to the producer, the Scottish barley is grown locally and malted with a little peat smoke, which gives the whisky a delicate hint of smoke. The water rises in the Chapelton Spring in the Romach Hills, a couple of miles behind the distillery.
The range. The signature range is 10, 12, 15, 21 and 25 years old, matured in first-fill sherry and bourbon casks. The Contrasts series is more experimental: for example Organic, which the producer calls the first certified organic single malt since 2006, and Peat Smoke, made with more heavily peated barley.
Why this matters to you. Check the age and the Contrasts name on the label, because they are different whiskies. Single malt Scotch is made at one distillery from water and malted barley in pot stills, matured for at least 3 years in oak casks of up to 700 litres and bottled at 40% vol. or more. The WHO states that there is no safe amount of alcohol for health.
Facts
| Year founded | 1898, Forres, Moray (built); bought in 1993 by Gordon & MacPhail; reopened in 1998 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) (Single Malt Scotch Whisky) |
| Raw material | Scottish barley malted with a little peat smoke; water from the Chapelton Spring |
| Cask type | first-fill sherry and bourbon casks; some Contrasts releases in virgin oak or wine casks |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in oak casks by law; signature range 10–25 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | at least 40% vol. by law |
What it includes
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Benromach → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🍷 Sherry
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🧪 Water, 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Speyside whisky
- Related to
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Peated whisky, 🥃 Glenfarclas, 🥃 Glenfiddich
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Benromach?
Gordon & MacPhail, a family-owned company from Elgin, which acquired the distillery in 1993.
When was Benromach built and reopened?
According to the producer, it was built in 1898 and reopened in 1998 by Prince Charles.
Where does Benromach's water come from?
From the Chapelton Spring in the Romach Hills, a couple of miles behind the distillery, according to the producer.
Is Benromach smoky?
Slightly: the producer malts the barley with a little peat smoke. The Contrasts: Peat Smoke release uses more heavily peated barley.
Which ages does Benromach offer?
The signature range is 10, 12, 15, 21 and 25 years old.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🧑🤝🧑 British — People of Great Britain; their protected West Country Cheddar matures for at least 9 months, and tea is drunk with milk.
Similar
🥃 Knockdhu · 🥃 Glengoyne · 🥃 Benrinnes · 🥃 Dailuaine · 🥃 Allt-a-Bhainne · 🥃 Tamdhu
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Benromach (producer): Our Story (built 1898 in Forres; acquired in 1993 by Gordon & MacPhail; reopened in 1998 by Prince Charles; Chapelton Spring water; barley malted with a little peat smoke)
- Benromach (producer): Core range (10, 12, 15, 21, 25 years; first-fill sherry and bourbon casks; Contrasts: Organic, Peat Smoke)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV; single malt: one distillery, water and malted barley, pot stills)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)